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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. ground — the earth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stock — shares
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — a position
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. calf — a young animal
  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