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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pit — a hole
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stock — goods
  13. shower — rain
  14. branch — a division
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. clip — a video
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stock — shares
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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