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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 · game · season · cold · foot · mouse · stock · lie

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lie — to recline
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stock — goods
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. season — of the year
  15. stock — shares
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bass — low music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. season — in sport
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bass — the fish
  24. foot — part of the body

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