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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bark — to shout
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. court — of law
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — of a king
  14. bound — certain
  15. cap — a lid
  16. court — for sport
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cap — a hat
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stock — shares
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — tied together
  24. coach — a trainer

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