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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. craft — boats
  5. perch — the fish
  6. spell — letters
  7. tube — a container
  8. stock — shares
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — magic
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — goods
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spell — a short time

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