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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. season — in sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. perch — the fish
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chip — for betting
  11. race — humankind
  12. stock — goods
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. staff — employees
  17. fork — in a road
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cell — in biology
  20. season — of the year
  21. stock — shares
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. race — a contest

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