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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. scale — in music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ball — a dance
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — size or range
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bound — certain
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — clever
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stock — goods
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. stock — a soup base

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