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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mark — a grade
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. march — music
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. capital — money
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — a city
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stock — shares
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. march — the month

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