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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. staff — employees
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mug — a cup
  8. staff — a stick
  9. race — a contest
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. race — humankind
  13. season — in sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — of the year
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mug — to rob
  20. perch — the fish
  21. race — the arms race
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. staff — employees
  24. bat — the animal

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