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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. stock — shares
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stock — goods
  10. chip — to eat
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — a subject
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. field — for sport
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chip — for betting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. swing — music

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