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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. clip — a video
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. clip — to cut
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cue — a signal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stock — goods
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. current — happening now
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — of water
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — electric
  23. mark — a grade
  24. clip — for paper

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