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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stock — goods
  5. swing — music
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. perch — the fish
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kick — in football
  15. bank — for money
  16. swing — to play on
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. root — the cause
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. root — of a word

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