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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — goods
  4. bass — low music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. shower — to wash
  11. dip — to sink
  12. key — in music
  13. field — for sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — a subject
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — rain

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