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

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. file — a document
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stock — shares
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stand — to bear
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. file — a tool
  18. calf — of the leg

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