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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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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: stock · mark · swing · race · cue · bore · clip · spring

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. clip — a video
  4. race — humankind
  5. spring — a coil
  6. race — a contest
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stock — goods
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cue — a hint
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cue — for pool
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — the season
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stock — shares
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cue — a signal
  24. spring — of water

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