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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 · game · can · bat · stick · stock · bear · net

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. net — after costs
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. net — for catching
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — in sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bat — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — shares
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. game — a match

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