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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. object — to protest
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pit — a hole
  5. file — a document
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pit — in a race
  8. clip — for paper
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rule — government
  11. stock — shares
  12. object — a thing
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pop — to visit
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stock — goods
  18. object — an aim
  19. pop — soda
  20. rule — a law
  21. file — a tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. pop — music
  24. staff — employees

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