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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rush · patient · vault · kick · perch · march · stock

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kick — in football
  12. perch — the fish
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. vault — a safe
  19. stock — goods
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. patient — a sick person

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