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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. foot — a measure
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hand — help
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — to trim
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stock — shares
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. firm — steady

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