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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mug — a cup
  3. perch — the fish
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bass — low music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mug — a face
  12. drill — army training
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. drill — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bass — the fish
  23. chair — a leader
  24. arm — part of the body

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