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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mate — a partner
  3. stock — goods
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mate — a friend
  8. season — of the year
  9. drill — a practice
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mate — to breed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. drill — the tool
  16. season — in sport
  17. drill — army training
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — shares
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — soda

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