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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. spell — a short time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pound — a weight
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. kick — in football
  13. spell — letters
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mark — a grade
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stock — shares
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spell — magic
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stock — goods
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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