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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: mark · pitcher · cell · rock · squash · stock · arm · scale

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. squash — the sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stock — shares
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rock — music
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rock — a stone
  13. squash — to crush
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — a phone
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mark — a grade

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