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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mark — a grade
  4. drill — the tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stock — shares
  7. clip — a video
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bound — certain
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bound — obliged
  15. clip — to cut
  16. drill — army training
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. racket — for tennis

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