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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chip — to eat
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stock — goods
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rest — a break
  18. club — a group
  19. hand — help
  20. stock — shares
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bulb — for light
  24. perch — for a bird

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