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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. shower — to wash
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rule — government
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — rain
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stock — goods
  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