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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 124 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stock — goods
  4. cue — a hint
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spell — magic
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — shares
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — a signal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. chest — a box
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — letters

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