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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — of the year
  3. net — in sport
  4. kid — child
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. stock — shares
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fork — in a road
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — after costs
  20. season — in sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stock — goods

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