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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. clip — a video
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stock — shares
  5. key — the most important part
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. firm — steady
  10. clip — for paper
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. plane — a tool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. key — in music
  17. scale — in music
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. scale — size or range
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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