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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stock — goods
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stock — shares
  16. snap — to click
  17. chest — a box
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. perch — the fish
  24. jam — a tight spot

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