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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 116 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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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: bat · bass · board · stock · rule · fan · wake · perch

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stock — shares
  6. bat — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — low music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rule — government
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wake — a trail
  24. perch — the fish

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