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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — after costs
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bark — to shout
  9. net — for catching
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. saw — the tool
  13. clip — a video
  14. net — in sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chip — to eat
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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