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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. roll — a cake
  3. stock — shares
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. court — of a king
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rush — hurry
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mate — a friend

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