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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. shower — rain
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. clip — for paper
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. scale — size or range
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. stock — goods
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. clip — a video
  11. roll — a list
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. firm — decided
  14. track — a path
  15. firm — steady
  16. clip — to cut
  17. shower — to wash
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. firm — a company
  23. stock — shares
  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