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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: stock · lie · perch · chair · ruler · shower · foot · row

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stock — shares
  10. row — a line
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. shower — rain
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. foot — a measure
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. perch — the fish

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