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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bass — low music
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. race — a contest
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. stock — goods
  11. staff — a stick
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. pass — a permit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — the fish
  24. can — a tin

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