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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
468
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 · stock · file · root · charge · net · saw · pitcher

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. root — of a plant
  8. charge — electricity
  9. root — of a word
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. file — a document
  14. charge — a price
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stock — goods
  17. root — the cause
  18. charge — in control
  19. clip — a video
  20. file — a line of people
  21. clip — for paper
  22. file — a tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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