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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spell — letters
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bass — low music
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. clip — a video
  11. stock — shares
  12. track — a path
  13. spell — magic
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bulb — for light
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. track — a song
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — goods
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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