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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. object — a thing
  3. drill — army training
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stock — goods
  8. squash — the sport
  9. object — an aim
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. clip — a video
  12. scale — in music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. squash — to crush
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. net — after costs
  18. object — to protest
  19. scale — size or range
  20. net — for catching
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pass — a permit
  24. drill — the tool

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