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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: perch · bat · stock · land · staff · rush · suit · current

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — goods
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. staff — employees
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. suit — to fit
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — the fish
  14. current — electric
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. land — to come down
  17. stock — shares
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — a country
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. staff — a stick
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — clothes

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