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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — goods
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wake — a trail
  10. charge — electricity
  11. drill — army training
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. charge — in control
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stock — shares
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — a practice

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