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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stock — goods
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. perch — the fish
  10. row — a line
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stock — shares
  14. season — in sport
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. season — of the year
  18. scale — size or range
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. date — the fruit
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. scale — in music

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