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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stock — shares
  4. last — finally
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. board — to get on
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bank — for money
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bank — of a river
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. board — a committee
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stock — goods
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bank — for money

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