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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 · perch · sharp · kid · swing · chair · nail · court

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. swing — in golf
  3. court — of law
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. sharp — clever
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. swing — to play on
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kid — child
  22. swing — music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. chair — a leader

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