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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. firm — decided
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. firm — a company
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cell — a phone
  8. clip — to cut
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. spring — of water
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cell — in biology
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — the season
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. swing — music
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. firm — steady
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cell — in a prison

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