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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — shares
  3. current — of water
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. last — to go on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. game — a match
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. perch — the fish
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. current — electric
  16. track — a path
  17. current — happening now
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stock — goods
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. track — a song

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