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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. scale — size or range
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. root — of a plant
  5. land — a country
  6. chip — for betting
  7. root — of a word
  8. stock — goods
  9. land — ground
  10. root — the cause
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — to come down
  13. perch — the fish
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. craft — a skill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chip — to eat
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. scale — in music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stock — a soup base

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