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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: bear · deal · game · clip · stock · race · racket · bass

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. deal — to handle
  14. clip — for paper
  15. game — wild animals
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a match
  21. race — a contest
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bear — to put up with

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