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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · stock · charge · date · perch · clip · pound · key

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. clip — a video
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stock — shares
  7. ball — a dance
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stock — goods
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. perch — the fish
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. date — the fruit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. charge — a price
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. clip — to cut
  23. charge — in control
  24. perch — for a bird

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