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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. clip — a video
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. stock — goods
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cap — a lid
  16. file — a document
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. arm — part of the body

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