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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bound — tied together
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mate — a friend
  6. foot — a measure
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mate — a partner
  13. perch — the fish
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — obliged
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stock — shares
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — clever
  24. foot — part of the body

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