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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · stock · pit · craft · bat · land · spell · pop

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stock — shares
  4. pop — music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. land — ground
  8. spell — magic
  9. stock — goods
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bass — low music
  12. land — a country
  13. craft — boats
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pop — soda
  20. spell — letters
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. land — to come down
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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