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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stock — shares
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. swing — music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stock — goods
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rock — music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stem — of a plant

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