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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bass — the fish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pop — soda
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. clip — a video
  8. stock — shares
  9. face — to confront
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ball — a dance
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pop — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stock — goods
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bass — low music
  24. ball — a round shape

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