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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. stock — shares
  7. capital — a city
  8. cue — a signal
  9. spell — magic
  10. stock — goods
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. capital — money
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cue — a hint
  22. spell — letters
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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