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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. sharp — clever
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lie — to recline
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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