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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — for golf
  5. perch — the fish
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. dip — to sink
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. root — of a word
  12. stock — goods
  13. land — a country
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — ground
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rest — what's left
  18. club — a group
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. club — for dancing
  23. root — the cause
  24. wave — of the sea

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