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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stock — goods
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wake — a trail
  6. court — of a king
  7. row — to paddle
  8. press — a publisher
  9. drill — army training
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. press — newspapers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. drill — a practice
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — a line
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stock — shares
  22. press — to push
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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