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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — government
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fall — the season
  5. season — of the year
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. perch — the fish
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — in sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rule — a law
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — in a road
  17. row — a line
  18. rest — what's left
  19. row — to paddle
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rest — a break
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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