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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rest — a break
  5. stock — shares
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bound — certain
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rash — a series
  12. staff — employees
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cell — a phone
  15. staff — employees
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wake — before a funeral

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