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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. firm — steady
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. firm — decided
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fall — to drop
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — completely
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stock — goods
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. stock — shares
  24. firm — a company

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