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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. field — a subject
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — in football
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. toast — bread
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mine — for digging
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. field — farmland
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stock — shares
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — the fish
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bass — low music
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stock — goods
  24. kick — with a leg

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