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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stock — goods
  5. pit — a hole
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chip — to eat
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. clip — to cut
  16. firm — decided
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stock — shares
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. firm — steady
  21. capital — a city
  22. drill — army training
  23. firm — a company
  24. clip — a video

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