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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bound — certain
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — an aim
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. object — to protest
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — obliged
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. game — a match
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. object — a thing

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