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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 124 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — to bend
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. deal — to handle
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lean — thin
  16. date — the fruit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — moving air
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. date — on the calendar

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