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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. row — a line
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. charge — a price
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. scale — in music
  14. charge — electricity
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stock — goods
  22. charge — in control
  23. row — a quarrel
  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