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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — shares
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — low music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bass — the fish
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. clip — a video
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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