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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: bat · perch · rush · chip · kid · drill · stand · stock

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stock — shares
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stock — goods
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. drill — army training
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. kid — child
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — the tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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