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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — goods
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. hand — help
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mate — a friend
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hand — in cards
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stock — shares
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mug — a cup
  15. plane — a tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mug — a face
  19. row — a line
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mate — a partner
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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