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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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Word bank
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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rash — hasty
  3. key — for a lock
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stock — shares
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rash — a series
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. season — in sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. snap — to click
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. season — of the year

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