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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. press — to push
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — a video
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stock — goods
  7. capital — money
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mug — a face
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. suit — to fit
  14. sharp — clever
  15. capital — a city
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stock — shares
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. suit — clothes

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