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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. clip — a video
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stock — shares
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. clip — for paper
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pop — soda
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stock — goods
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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