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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stock — shares
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. land — a country
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. sharp — clever
  10. row — a line
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lean — to bend
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. lean — thin
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. land — ground
  23. row — to paddle
  24. land — to come down

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