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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 · rush · bound · fall · hand · chip · hide · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — help
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bound — certain
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. club — for golf
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hand — in cards
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fall — the season
  24. bound — obliged

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