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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — a company
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stock — goods
  14. row — a line
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. clip — a video
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. firm — decided
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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