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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stock — goods
  6. spell — letters
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — a video
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stock — shares
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spell — magic
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. track — a path
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — hurry
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. track — a song
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rush — to hurry

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