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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mark — a trace
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stock — goods
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stock — shares
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cell — a phone
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pound — a weight

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