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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: fan · clip · net · chair · perch · firm · fine · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. clip — a video
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. perch — the fish
  5. firm — steady
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. firm — a company
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. clip — for paper
  12. firm — decided
  13. chair — a leader
  14. net — after costs
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. net — for catching
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. net — in sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — to sit on

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