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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 · chair · stock · racket · pound · deal · mate · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. stock — shares
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bass — low music
  12. stock — goods
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. chair — a professorship

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