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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — to keep track
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. face — part of the head
  12. present — a gift
  13. last — final
  14. face — to point toward
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stock — goods
  18. face — to confront
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. track — a song
  22. last — finally
  23. track — a path
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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