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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pop — soda
  3. stock — shares
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — a position
  6. pop — to visit
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. snap — to click
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stock — goods
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pop — music
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. perch — for a bird

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