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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stock — shares
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. perch — the fish
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. clip — to cut
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. game — a match
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stock — goods
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. swing — in golf
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of a car

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