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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stock — shares
  3. game — a match
  4. clip — a video
  5. scale — in music
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rule — a law
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. stock — goods
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — wild animals
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rule — government

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