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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. stock — shares
  4. clip — a video
  5. lean — thin
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — in sport
  8. race — humankind
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. race — the arms race
  13. degree — from a university
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. net — after costs
  17. stock — goods
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. season — of the year
  23. race — a contest
  24. net — in sport

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