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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. clip — for paper
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a list
  6. stock — shares
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bound — certain
  10. clip — to cut
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. firm — steady
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. key — in music
  17. clip — a video
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stock — goods
  20. scale — size or range
  21. firm — decided
  22. bound — tied together
  23. roll — a cake
  24. key — the most important part

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