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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — shares
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. club — a group
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stock — goods
  11. ball — a dance
  12. charge — in control
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bat — the animal
  17. row — a line
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. club — for golf
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. charge — electricity
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. charge — a price

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