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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 116 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: lie · track · perch · snap · ball · rule · clip · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. track — a song
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rule — a law
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — a video
  16. rule — government
  17. lie — to recline
  18. track — to keep track
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. track — a path
  21. ball — a great time
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stock — goods
  24. ball — a dance

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