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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — final
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. cue — a hint
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cue — for pool
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. foot — a measure
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cue — a signal
  15. toast — bread
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stock — shares
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. foot — the bottom

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