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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chair — a leader
  5. club — for dancing
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. club — for golf
  9. stock — shares
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stock — goods
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. scale — in music
  16. clip — a video
  17. perch — the fish
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. club — a group
  21. clip — to cut
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stock — a soup base

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