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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. ball — a dance
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ball — a great time
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stock — goods
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. field — farmland
  16. stock — shares
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rash — hasty
  19. field — for sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — a subject
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rash — a series
  24. ball — a round shape

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