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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. drill — a practice
  3. game — a match
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — army training
  8. perch — the fish
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — of a king
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — shares
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stock — goods

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