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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · bass · stick · content · kid · stock · suit · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. kid — child
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bass — low music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stock — goods
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bass — the fish
  16. content — happy
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. content — the amount
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com