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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
468
Word bank
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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chair — a leader
  6. file — a document
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. club — for dancing
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kick — in football
  17. club — a group
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. tube — a container
  24. club — for golf

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