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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: deal · can · cold · bore · stock · bass · firm · date

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. deal — to handle
  3. firm — decided
  4. stock — goods
  5. firm — steady
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bass — the fish
  10. firm — a company
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. can — a tin
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — to drill
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stock — shares
  21. cold — an illness
  22. can — a tin
  23. bore — to tire
  24. deal — a big deal

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