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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. track — a song
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. clip — to cut
  6. track — a path
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mate — a partner
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stock — goods
  13. mate — a friend
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. clip — a video
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bass — low music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stock — shares
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chair — a professorship

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