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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: straw · mark · clip · tear · charge · rock · scale · net

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. scale — in music
  3. net — after costs
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. net — in sport
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tear — to rip
  8. scale — size or range
  9. charge — electricity
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rock — a stone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — in control
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. clip — to cut
  18. charge — a price
  19. clip — for paper
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — for catching
  22. clip — a video
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mark — to pay attention

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