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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · bore · fine · arm · land · perch · rest · game

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — help
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rest — a break
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — all right
  15. rest — what's left
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bore — to drill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. land — a country
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fine — high quality

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