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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. clip — a video
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — to go on
  9. squash — the sport
  10. last — finally
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. bulb — for light
  18. last — final
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bulb — of a plant

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