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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — shares
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ground — crushed
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stock — goods
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spell — letters
  14. ground — a position
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ground — the earth
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — to shout
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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