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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: march · racket · stock · perch · kid · bay · bat · fork

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. perch — the fish
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bat — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fork — in a road
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. march — music
  23. kid — child
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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