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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. swing — to play on
  3. content — the amount
  4. rock — a stone
  5. clip — a video
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. vault — a safe
  9. stock — shares
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rock — music
  13. content — happy
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wind — moving air
  23. clip — to cut
  24. swing — music

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