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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: stock · suit · board · fine · clip · jam · present · pop

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. stock — shares
  4. suit — in cards
  5. stock — goods
  6. board — to get on
  7. pop — music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. board — a committee
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. clip — a video
  14. present — there
  15. fine — high quality
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — to fit
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fine — all right
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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