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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — a break
  4. scale — in music
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stock — goods
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. track — a path
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. clip — to cut
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. suit — clothes
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — to keep track
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a song
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — shares

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