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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stock — goods
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. perch — the fish
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bass — low music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chair — a leader
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. vault — a safe
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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