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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: temple · perch · hand · chest · coach · fall · snap · arm

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chest — of your body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fall — the season
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chest — a box
  24. hand — in cards

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