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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — goods
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. firm — steady
  11. perch — the fish
  12. firm — a company
  13. current — of water
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. current — electric
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — decided
  24. current — happening now

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