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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. spring — the season
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rash — hasty
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — goods
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rash — a series
  13. spring — of water
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — shares
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — a coil
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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