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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stock — goods
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. firm — a company
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. firm — steady
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pit — a hole
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pit — in a race
  23. firm — decided
  24. coach — a trainer

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