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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: perch · drill · face · swing · arm · ground · deal · bay

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. drill — the tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. drill — army training
  11. ground — crushed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. face — to confront
  19. ground — a position
  20. face — part of the head
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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