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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. clip — to cut
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. land — to come down
  7. clip — a video
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. drill — a practice
  11. court — of law
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. clip — for paper
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — a country
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — army training
  21. court — for sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. land — ground
  24. court — of a king

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