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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. hand — in cards
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. clip — for paper
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. degree — temperature
  9. craft — boats
  10. scale — in music
  11. stock — goods
  12. degree — from a university
  13. craft — a skill
  14. hand — help
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. degree — an amount
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. clip — to cut
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. scale — for weighing

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