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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. swing — music
  3. clip — a video
  4. swing — in golf
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fall — the season
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. swing — to play on
  10. clip — to cut
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. dip — to sink
  14. file — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stock — goods
  17. season — of the year
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. season — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. clip — for paper

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