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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. club — for golf
  13. rest — a break
  14. fall — to drop
  15. march — music
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. club — a group
  20. hand — in cards
  21. perch — the fish
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. hand — help

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