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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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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: mark · bat · club · mouse · perch · stock · rest · row

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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 — a line
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — a group
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. club — for golf
  23. stock — shares
  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