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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 120 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wake — a trail
  4. clip — for paper
  5. craft — a skill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. craft — boats
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stock — goods
  11. club — for golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. firm — decided
  14. clip — a video
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — a group
  17. kid — to tease
  18. firm — a company
  19. clip — to cut
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kid — child
  22. firm — steady
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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