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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — to go on
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stock — shares
  9. fine — high quality
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stock — goods
  17. perch — the fish
  18. last — finally
  19. fine — all right
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — final
  24. nail — for a hammer

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