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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stock — goods
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pop — soda
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — shares
  14. pop — music
  15. rash — a series
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kick — in football
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fan — a supporter

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