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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. clip — for paper
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bore — to tire
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — low music
  9. stock — goods
  10. bass — the fish
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. scale — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. clip — to cut

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