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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stock — goods
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. roll — a list
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ground — a position
  9. clip — for paper
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — a video
  24. pound — to hit hard

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