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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. drill — the tool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mate — a partner
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mug — a face
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stock — shares
  10. row — to paddle
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stock — goods
  13. mug — a cup
  14. row — a line
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. land — to come down
  18. swing — to play on
  19. land — ground
  20. mate — to breed
  21. swing — in golf
  22. drill — army training
  23. land — a country
  24. mug — to rob

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