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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: kid · fine · straw · perch · stock · mark · firm · staff

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stock — shares
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. firm — decided
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. kid — child
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. staff — employees
  16. mark — a grade
  17. firm — a company
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fine — all right
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mark — a trace
  24. firm — steady

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