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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: fall · clip · stock · suit · bay · drill · degree · mouse

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. suit — to fit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stock — goods
  10. clip — to cut
  11. suit — clothes
  12. fall — the season
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stock — shares
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. degree — temperature
  17. clip — a video
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fall — to drop
  22. degree — from a university
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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