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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: pitcher · can · game · arm · lash · perch · hand · foot

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — a measure
  11. hand — in cards
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. game — wild animals
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — a match

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