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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. content — happy
  3. stock — shares
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — soda
  6. content — the amount
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pop — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cue — for pool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pop — to visit
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stock — goods
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cue — a signal
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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