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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rest — a break
  6. stock — shares
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rest — what's left
  12. board — to get on
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. game — a match
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. perch — the fish
  20. board — a committee
  21. bass — the fish
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bass — low music
  24. game — wild animals

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