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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. can — a tin
  3. object — an aim
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. object — a thing
  6. stock — shares
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stock — goods
  9. can — a tin
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. club — a group
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. clip — a video
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rock — music
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rock — a stone
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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