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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. stock — goods
  3. kid — child
  4. bound — certain
  5. scale — size or range
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bound — obliged
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — to tease
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bound — tied together
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — in music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — shares

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