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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rest — a break
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — a grade
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. clip — a video
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — shares
  12. snap — to click
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — an amount
  18. clip — for paper
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. degree — from a university
  22. clip — to cut
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — to drop

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