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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kick — in football
  3. squash — to crush
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stock — goods
  9. stand — to bear
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stock — shares
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. clip — a video
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mark — to pay attention

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