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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. can — to be able to
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. field — a subject
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. field — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fall — the season
  15. field — farmland
  16. dip — to sink
  17. season — of the year
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stock — shares
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stock — goods
  23. perch — for a bird
  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