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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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stock — shares
  3. pop — music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. capital — a city
  6. swing — music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pop — to visit
  9. swing — to play on
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. capital — money
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. swing — in golf
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — soda
  19. bass — low music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stock — goods
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. safe — out of danger

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