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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: arm · present · date · perch · rule · racket · row · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. row — a line
  6. present — there
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rule — government
  12. spell — letters
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. present — the time now
  15. row — to paddle
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. present — a gift
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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