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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — soda
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. object — an aim
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. perch — the fish
  12. object — to protest
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pop — music
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. drill — a practice
  23. object — a thing
  24. drill — the tool

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