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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. fine — all right
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pass — a permit
  9. staff — a stick
  10. clip — for paper
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — goods
  14. dip — to sink
  15. foot — a measure
  16. staff — employees
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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