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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — size or range
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. perch — the fish
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. snap — to click
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ball — a great time
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wax — to grow
  16. suit — in cards
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stock — shares
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stock — goods
  21. ball — a dance
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. scale — in music
  24. perch — for a bird

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