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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — for sport
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stock — shares
  12. track — to keep track
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chest — a box
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. court — of a king
  20. track — a path
  21. court — of law
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bear — the animal

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