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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. clip — a video
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. clip — for paper
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. craft — a skill
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. content — the amount
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — happy
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stock — shares
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. craft — boats
  24. coach — a trainer

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