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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lie — to recline
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. mate — a friend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stock — shares
  19. mate — to breed
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mate — a partner
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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