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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: kick · ball · perch · pound · hand · ruler · saw · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ball — a dance
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hand — help
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pound — a weight
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ball — a great time

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