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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ball — a dance
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. bank — for money
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stock — goods
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — shares
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bank — for money
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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