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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mark — a trace
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — a video
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. degree — from a university
  10. court — for sport
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stock — goods
  13. mark — a grade
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. degree — temperature
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — shares
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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