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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: stick · game · bank · drill · kid · perch · kick · stock

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kick — in football
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. drill — army training
  9. stock — shares
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stock — goods
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kid — child
  19. perch — the fish
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bank — for money
  24. kick — with a leg

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