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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 · safe · ball · net · stock · arm · hand · clip

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. clip — a video
  5. ball — a great time
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hand — help
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. clip — to cut
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stock — goods
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. hand — in cards
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. net — for catching

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