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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bank — for money
  4. mug — to rob
  5. scale — in music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stock — goods
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. clip — to cut
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — shares
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mug — a face
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bank — for money
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. scale — size or range

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