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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stock — goods
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — a position
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. perch — the fish
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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