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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. roll — a list
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a cake
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fall — the season
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — shares
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. perch — the fish
  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