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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. capital — a city
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. capital — money
  7. stock — shares
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stock — goods
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. clip — for paper
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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