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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. season — in sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. can — to be able to
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bore — to drill
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stock — shares
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. clip — a video
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stock — goods

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