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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.

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: temple · perch · face · stock · arm · shower · pitch · hand

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stock — shares
  24. pitch — completely

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