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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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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: stock · saw · track · squash · perch · mark · clip · racket

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — goods
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. clip — a video
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — a song
  11. mark — a grade
  12. clip — to cut
  13. squash — to crush
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. clip — for paper
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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