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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: saw · chair · pitch · root · nail · land · perch · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — a country
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — ground
  13. stock — shares
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. root — the cause
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. land — to come down
  24. chair — a leader

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