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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 · bowl · foot · march · chair · object · stock · wake

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stock — shares
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. march — music
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bass — low music
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. march — the month
  13. object — a thing
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. march — the month
  18. object — to protest
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. object — an aim
  24. wake — before a funeral

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