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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  3. root — of a word
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stock — goods
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bound — certain
  9. mate — a partner
  10. root — the cause
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a match
  17. wind — moving air
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. perch — for a bird
  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