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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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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 · bay · toast · row · object · file · coach · arm

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — a thing
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. object — an aim
  9. toast — bread
  10. file — a document
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. object — to protest
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — to paddle

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