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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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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rash — hasty
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fall — the season
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. kid — child
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fall — to drop
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pass — a permit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — a series
  24. pass — to spend time

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