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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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Word bank
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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: clip · bound · pass · firm · kid · file · toast · stock

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. kid — child
  3. stock — goods
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. kid — to tease
  6. clip — a video
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. file — a tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — steady
  12. bound — obliged
  13. file — a document
  14. clip — for paper
  15. toast — bread
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. firm — a company
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stock — shares
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. file — a line of people
  24. toast — the most admired

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