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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. present — the time now
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fall — the season
  11. present — there
  12. bank — for money
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chip — to eat
  17. present — a gift
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — a video
  21. stock — goods
  22. bank — for money
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rock — a stone

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