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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — low music
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rest — what's left
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. perch — the fish
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rest — a break
  24. chair — a professorship

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