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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · hand · plane · court · arm · mate · perch · rush

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — to breed
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mate — a friend
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. court — for sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. deal — to handle
  17. perch — the fish
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. court — of law
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rush — a thrill

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