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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: stock · rule · ground · squash · straw · mark · wake · bass

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stock — shares
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bass — low music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stock — goods
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rule — a law
  21. squash — to crush
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rule — government

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