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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kid — child
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — of ice
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stock — goods
  16. cue — a hint
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — a hat
  19. current — electric
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stock — shares
  24. kid — to tease

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