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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · perch · lie · plane · kid · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — to tease
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kid — child
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. game — a match
  11. plane — a tool
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. perch — the fish
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. plane — in geometry

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