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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: fork · pound · perch · ruler · arm · hand · game · file

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. file — a line of people
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pound — a weight
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. file — a document

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