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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. sharp — clever
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spell — magic
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stock — goods
  23. clip — to cut
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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