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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bound — tied together
  6. deal — to handle
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — to cut
  11. capital — a city
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. clip — a video
  15. capital — money
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bound — certain
  24. pit — a hole

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