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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stock — shares
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. perch — the fish
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mate — a partner
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stock — goods
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wind — moving air

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