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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: perch · fine · firm · arm · key · kick · coach · stock

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. fine — all right
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. firm — steady
  5. key — the most important part
  6. firm — decided
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. perch — the fish
  10. key — in music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stock — goods
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fine — high quality
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stock — shares
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kick — in football

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