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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bass — low music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rush — hurry
  6. clip — for paper
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stock — shares
  9. pass — a permit
  10. craft — boats
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. stock — goods
  21. clip — a video
  22. bass — the fish
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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