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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. clip — a video
  4. craft — boats
  5. clip — for paper
  6. kick — in football
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stock — a soup base

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