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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. snap — to click
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pop — soda
  8. season — in sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stock — shares
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to bend
  15. perch — the fish
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. lean — thin
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — of the year
  22. pop — music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — goods

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