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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: kick · row · season · perch · stand · last · mate · stock

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. season — in sport
  5. last — finally
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. row — a line
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — a partner
  12. last — final
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kick — in football
  15. stock — shares
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stand — to bear
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — of the year
  23. stock — goods
  24. kick — with a leg

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