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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: bass · hand · sharp · race · wave · saw · stock · mouse

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. stock — goods
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. saw — the tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bass — the fish
  17. race — a contest
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bass — low music

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