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

Word bank: cabinet · hide · chair · kid · perch · arm · mark · root

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mark — a trace
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kid — child
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. arm — a part of something

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