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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. sharp — clever
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stock — shares
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a hint
  7. rash — hasty
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tube — a container
  12. rash — a series
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cue — for pool
  23. swing — music
  24. cue — a signal

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