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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
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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: bark · scale · rush · pitcher · cabinet · game · arm · stock

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. scale — in music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stock — goods
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stock — shares
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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