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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.

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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. rule — government
  8. object — a thing
  9. swing — to play on
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rule — a law
  15. object — an aim
  16. band — a music group
  17. swing — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. band — a ring
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stock — shares
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. perch — the fish

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