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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pop — soda
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kick — in football
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stock — shares
  9. saw — the tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pop — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. saw — the tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. drill — a practice
  24. dip — a sauce

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