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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 120 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: race · bass · lie · club · can · object · stock · clip

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. can — a tin
  4. club — a group
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. object — an aim
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. object — a thing
  11. club — for golf
  12. race — a contest
  13. bass — low music
  14. race — humankind
  15. stock — shares
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lie — to recline
  21. object — to protest
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stock — goods
  24. lie — an untruth

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