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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. charge — a price
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stock — shares
  8. charge — electricity
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. staff — a stick
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. charge — in control
  22. kick — in football
  23. kid — to tease
  24. perch — for a bird

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