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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.

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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. tube — a container
  4. stock — goods
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — a friend
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. sharp — clever
  10. scale — size or range
  11. current — happening now
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mate — a partner
  15. perch — the fish
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. stock — shares
  21. scale — in music
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tube — the underground
  24. perch — for a bird

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