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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stock — shares
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bore — to drill
  6. court — for sport
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. suit — clothes
  9. file — a document
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stock — goods
  15. file — a tool
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. court — of law
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bore — to tire
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. perch — the fish
  23. court — of a king
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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