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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: chair · object · racket · fall · craft · perch · last · kid

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. object — an aim
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kid — to tease
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fall — to drop
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kid — child
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. last — final
  20. fall — the season
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. craft — boats

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