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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. court — of a king
  9. stock — shares
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. court — of law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. rash — a series
  24. perch — for a bird

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