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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bank — of a river
  5. track — to keep track
  6. clip — a video
  7. stock — goods
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. court — of law
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. court — for sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — of a king
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — shares
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — a box

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