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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. perch — the fish
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — tied together
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. stock — goods
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bound — certain
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rest — a break
  24. pitcher — a jug

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