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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. court — of a king
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stock — shares
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. shower — rain
  12. staff — employees
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — for sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. shower — to wash
  18. staff — employees
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stand — to bear
  22. court — of law
  23. stock — goods
  24. bowl — to roll

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