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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. scale — size or range
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rest — a break
  6. charge — in control
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. charge — electricity
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. perch — the fish
  15. scale — in music
  16. charge — a price
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — shares

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