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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. present — the time now
  4. charge — in control
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. charge — electricity
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — for pool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cue — a signal
  15. present — there
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cue — a hint
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — a video

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