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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: rest · pop · perch · row · saw · foot · board · kid

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pop — music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pop — to visit
  5. row — to paddle
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rest — a break
  13. row — a line
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. perch — the fish
  17. board — to get on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — to tease

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