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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · clip · stock · jam · cell · squash · bowl · sharp

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. clip — a video
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stock — goods
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spell — magic
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cell — a phone
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. spell — letters
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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