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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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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: cue · bound · row · perch · stock · last · cap · net

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. net — for catching
  4. stock — shares
  5. cue — a signal
  6. row — a line
  7. last — final
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. net — in sport
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cap — a lid
  14. net — after costs
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — to go on
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — to paddle
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cap — of ice

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