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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. suit — clothes
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — goods
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pound — a weight
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. suit — in cards
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. suit — to fit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stock — shares
  24. wind — to turn a key

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