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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: club · rest · spell · perch · mug · net · chest · firm

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — a company
  3. rest — what's left
  4. perch — the fish
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rest — a break
  7. net — after costs
  8. mug — a face
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — magic
  15. club — for golf
  16. mug — a cup
  17. club — for dancing
  18. spell — a short time
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — a box
  21. club — a group
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. spell — letters

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