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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tube — a container
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. clip — to cut
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ground — crushed
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — a video
  23. bass — low music
  24. track — a song

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