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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. clip — a video
  4. pop — to visit
  5. net — after costs
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. net — in sport
  8. chip — to eat
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chip — for betting
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pop — music
  17. net — for catching
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. clip — to cut
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stock — shares
  24. coach — a trainer

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