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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cue — for pool
  3. branch — a division
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. vault — a safe
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stock — goods
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. toast — bread
  16. stock — shares
  17. pound — a weight
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cell — in biology
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cue — a signal
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cell — a phone
  24. clip — a video

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