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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bass — low music
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stock — goods
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. stock — shares
  11. net — in sport
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. net — for catching
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. net — after costs
  23. bass — the fish
  24. clip — to cut

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