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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — goods
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. firm — decided
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. drill — army training
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mate — a friend
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. firm — steady

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