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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mate — to breed
  3. firm — decided
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hand — in cards
  6. object — a thing
  7. stock — shares
  8. firm — a company
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mate — a partner
  12. object — an aim
  13. chip — for betting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. object — to protest
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — goods
  20. firm — steady
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hand — help
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chip — in a computer

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