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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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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. clip — a video
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — for paper
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stock — goods
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. present — a gift
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. present — the time now
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. clip — to cut
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. present — there
  17. stock — shares
  18. deal — an agreement

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