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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: ruler · kid · rest · mine · arm · perch · last · rash

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rest — a break
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kid — child
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rash — a series
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mine — for digging

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