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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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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: ruler · stock · kid · chest · perch · rash · foot · racket

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. chest — a box
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kid — child
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. foot — a measure
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chest — of your body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rash — a series

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