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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stock — goods
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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