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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. pass — a permit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — after costs
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. dip — to sink
  16. net — in sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. net — for catching
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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