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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: stick · racket · perch · cell · foot · arm · stand · date

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cell — a phone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. date — the fruit
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cell — in biology
  24. racket — a loud noise

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