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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: mark · straw · bat · plane · fall · chair · perch · rest

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — a break
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fall — the season
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. plane — a tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mark — a trace
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fall — to drop

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