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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 116 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: chair · mouse · cabinet · scale · season · stock · rush · perch

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stock — goods
  3. chair — a leader
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stock — shares
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. season — in sport
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. scale — in music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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