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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bat — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mug — to rob
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stock — shares
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. scale — in music
  20. stock — goods
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. arm — a part of something

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