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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — shares
  4. craft — boats
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stock — goods
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — in cards
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hand — help
  24. fan — a supporter

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