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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · stock · clip · stem · kick · swing

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. clip — to cut
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — a video
  7. stock — goods
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stem — to come from
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kick — in football
  16. pit — a hole
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf

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