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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stock — goods
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pit — in a race
  6. squash — the sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stock — shares
  22. perch — the fish
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. arm — part of the body

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