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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spell — letters
  5. clip — a video
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stock — goods
  8. clip — for paper
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fine — high quality
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. clip — to cut
  23. spell — magic
  24. stock — shares

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