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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stock — goods
  4. net — in sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stock — shares
  7. net — after costs
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mate — to breed
  10. foot — a measure
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mate — a friend
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ground — crushed
  16. clip — for paper
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. net — for catching
  22. degree — an amount
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — a partner

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