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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stock — shares
  5. present — the time now
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spring — the season
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cap — a hat
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. present — a gift
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. spring — of water
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stock — goods
  23. cap — a lid
  24. perch — for a bird

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