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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. court — of law
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — a video
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bank — for money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stock — goods
  12. bass — the fish
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bank — of a river
  16. court — of a king
  17. bass — low music
  18. court — for sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stock — shares
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — to wash

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