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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: stock · court · object · perch · pitcher · cue · capital · arm

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cue — for pool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. capital — a city
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. court — of a king
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — a signal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stock — shares
  20. perch — the fish
  21. object — to protest
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — money

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