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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — goods
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a song
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ball — a great time
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — a stick
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. season — in sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — a video
  23. season — of the year
  24. ball — a dance

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