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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: foot · mine · stock · arm · swing · perch · pitcher · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mine — for digging
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stock — goods
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. current — electric
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. swing — music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. current — happening now
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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