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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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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: perch · rash · rest · kick · cabinet · stock · scale · mate

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mate — a partner
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — in music
  10. rash — a series
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mate — to breed
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. stock — shares
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — goods
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rest — a break

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