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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — employees
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cue — for pool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. charge — a price
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. charge — in control
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. clip — a video
  21. ball — a great time
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bulb — for light

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