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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. shower — to wash
  4. swing — music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stock — shares
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. key — the most important part
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. key — in music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. swing — in golf
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. shower — rain
  22. stock — goods
  23. plane — a tool
  24. perch — the fish

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