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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. can — a tin
  3. stock — shares
  4. can — to be able to
  5. net — for catching
  6. kid — child
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. kid — to tease
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. file — a document
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mark — a grade
  19. file — a line of people
  20. can — a tin
  21. file — a tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mark — a trace

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