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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: perch · hand · staff · fork · kick · object · cue · cabinet

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. object — to protest
  3. hand — in cards
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hand — help
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fork — in a road
  15. object — an aim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. object — a thing
  24. kick — in football

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