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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.

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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hand — help
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fork — in a road
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. swing — music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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