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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.

Make a worksheet

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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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — in football
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. firm — a company
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. firm — steady
  19. dip — to sink
  20. firm — decided
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. perch — the fish

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