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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: rest · pop · chest · bat · date · lie · stock · bass

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pop — soda
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — a box
  6. bass — the fish
  7. chest — of your body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — shares
  11. pop — music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stock — goods
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rest — a break
  24. bat — the animal

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