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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fine · arm · stock · bass · cold · fall · swing · current

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — to play on
  3. current — electric
  4. cold — not warm
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — all right
  7. bass — low music
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — shares
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. current — of water
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. stock — goods
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fall — the season

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