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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. staff — a stick
  3. clip — for paper
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — goods
  7. season — of the year
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stock — shares
  11. deal — to handle
  12. clip — a video
  13. rash — hasty
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — in sport
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mark — to pay attention

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