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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stock — goods
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — a video
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rash — hasty
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — low music
  16. roll — a list
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rash — a series
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stock — shares
  24. bass — the instrument

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