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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pass — a permit
  7. clip — to cut
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. bound — certain
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stock — shares
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bound — tied together

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