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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stock — shares
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stock — goods
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mate — to breed
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. degree — from a university

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