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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: charge · stock · wound · clip · drill · sharp · track · bowl

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stock — goods
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — a path
  6. clip — to cut
  7. track — a song
  8. charge — a price
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. wound — an injury
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. charge — in control
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. drill — army training
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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