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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. clip — for paper
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. can — a tin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — goods
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rest — a break
  18. clip — a video
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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