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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. clip — a video
  4. stock — goods
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — for paper
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. kick — in football
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. snap — to click
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. date — the fruit
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. nail — on a finger

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