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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stock — shares
  3. fine — all right
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stock — goods
  8. pop — to visit
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fall — to drop
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — to fit
  17. fall — the season
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pop — soda
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pop — music

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