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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: pit · present · stock · date · coach · sharp · clip · wound

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. clip — a video
  3. sharp — clever
  4. clip — to cut
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. stock — goods
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wound — an injury
  15. date — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stock — shares
  24. sharp — with an edge

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