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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stock — goods
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pound — a weight
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. perch — the fish
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stock — shares
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bark — to shout

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