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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. clip — to cut
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. shower — rain
  5. track — a song
  6. spell — a short time
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stock — goods
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. spell — magic
  17. shower — to wash
  18. spell — letters

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