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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 120 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 · stick · march · arm · stock · mark · mug · ball

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a dance
  4. clip — a video
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mug — a face
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — shares
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stock — goods

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