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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — shares
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pop — to visit
  7. net — in sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. clip — a video
  10. pop — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. present — there
  16. pop — soda
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. net — after costs
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. present — a gift
  21. foot — a measure
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. present — the time now
  24. clip — to cut

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