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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: mate · perch · current · stick · rest · lean · roll · chair

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lean — thin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mate — a partner
  7. current — happening now
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. roll — a list
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chair — a leader
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to bend
  15. roll — a cake
  16. current — electric
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rest — a break
  23. perch — the fish
  24. current — of water

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