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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: rash · bat · perch · coach · arm · march · lean · charge

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. march — music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. march — the month
  10. rash — hasty
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. charge — in control
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. charge — a price
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — the month
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lean — thin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. charge — electricity
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — in an idiom

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