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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stock — shares
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. roll — a list
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. craft — boats
  10. clip — a video
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. roll — a cake
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. craft — a skill
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

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