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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. clip — to cut
  4. swing — to play on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — shares
  8. swing — in golf
  9. last — finally
  10. ball — a dance
  11. swing — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. present — there
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. present — the time now
  21. last — final
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. present — a gift
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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