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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. clip — a video
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. board — to get on
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. track — a path
  11. bass — the fish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — a song
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. clip — for paper
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stock — shares
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. board — a committee
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. clip — to cut

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