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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. clip — a video
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stock — goods
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tube — a container
  17. track — to keep track
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — music
  24. jam — in traffic

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