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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. land — ground
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. land — a country
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. land — to come down
  19. season — in sport
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — goods
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — shares

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