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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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Word bank
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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: perch · chest · ruler · racket · straw · march

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — the fish
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chest — of your body
  11. march — music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. march — the month
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. march — the month
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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