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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stock — goods
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — letters
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bore — to tire
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stock — shares
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mate — a friend
  24. spell — magic

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