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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: arm · cue · straw · perch · rush · club · file · last

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — to go on
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. last — finally
  11. club — a group
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. club — for golf
  15. file — a document
  16. cue — a signal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cue — a hint
  23. perch — the fish
  24. last — final

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