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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — goods
  3. rest — a break
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — rain
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — to rip
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. squash — to crush
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stock — shares

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