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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bound · arm · fan · straw · perch · game · vault · land

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bound — tied together
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. perch — the fish
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bound — certain
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. land — a country
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — wild animals
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. land — to come down
  18. vault — a safe
  19. game — a match
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. land — ground
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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