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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. current — happening now
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stock — goods
  6. clip — a video
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spring — the season
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. current — of water
  13. stock — shares
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. current — electric
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spring — of water
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spring — a coil

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