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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. sharp — clever
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — money
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fall — the season
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — music
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. capital — a city
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. perch — the fish
  20. drill — army training
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — a part of something

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