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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — a hole
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pit — in a race
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — shares
  13. march — music
  14. stock — goods
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mine — for digging

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