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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · rash · hand · ball · craft · stock · bass · mouse

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stock — goods
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bass — low music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. rash — a series
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. hand — help
  23. craft — boats
  24. ball — a great time

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