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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 116 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. clip — for paper
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stock — shares
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. land — to come down
  11. scale — in music
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — a country
  16. clip — a video
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. land — ground

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