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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mark — a grade
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stock — goods
  16. clip — to cut
  17. roll — a cake
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. roll — a list
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. clip — a video
  24. straw — a straw man

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