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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: bat · safe · stock · perch · hand · coach · bowl · leaves

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

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