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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. net — in sport
  4. scale — in music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. object — an aim
  7. clip — for paper
  8. net — for catching
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. object — a thing
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. net — after costs
  14. stock — goods
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — letters
  18. land — ground
  19. spell — magic
  20. scale — size or range
  21. clip — a video
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. spell — a short time
  24. object — to protest

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