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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.

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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a great time
  3. clip — a video
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — of the year
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. staff — a stick
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bore — to drill
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — employees
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stock — goods
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — to cut
  22. season — in sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bore — to tire

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