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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. season — in sport
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. can — a tin
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — to be able to
  10. clip — to cut
  11. march — music
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. key — for a lock
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. key — the most important part
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — of the year
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — goods
  21. clip — for paper
  22. march — the month
  23. key — in music
  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