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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 120 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: season · rush · rock · bat · stock · arm · perch · march

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. march — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. season — of the year
  9. rock — a stone
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. perch — the fish
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rush — hurry

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