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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. suit — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — a gift
  5. clip — for paper
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lie — to recline
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — goods
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. drill — army training
  17. suit — clothes
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. present — the time now
  20. stock — shares
  21. clip — to cut
  22. suit — to fit
  23. present — there
  24. clip — a video

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