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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — in sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — rain
  8. chair — a leader
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stock — shares
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stock — goods
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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