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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: firm · bass · cap · sharp · stock · nail · ground · rest

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bass — low music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rest — what's left
  9. firm — a company
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. firm — steady
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. rest — a break
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ground — the earth
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ground — a position
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ground — crushed
  23. firm — decided
  24. bass — the instrument

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