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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: clip · craft · bay · mouse · last · rash · stock · cabinet

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. last — to go on
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. craft — boats
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rash — hasty
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stock — goods
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rash — a series
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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