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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · face · stock · march · perch · craft · chair · bay

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. perch — the fish
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. march — the month
  11. cap — a lid
  12. face — to point toward
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. face — part of the head
  16. craft — boats
  17. stock — goods
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chair — a leader
  20. march — music
  21. face — to confront
  22. march — the month
  23. craft — a skill
  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