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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. last — final
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. last — finally
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — goods
  7. last — to go on
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kid — to tease
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stock — shares
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pop — soda
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — music
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  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