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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: clip · safe · lash · mate · row · scale · sharp · stock

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. mate — to breed
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. scale — in music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stock — shares
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — goods
  19. row — a line
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. sharp — clever
  24. scale — size or range

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