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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: tear · perch · arm · racket · present · key · kick · drill

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. present — a gift
  3. tear — from crying
  4. present — the time now
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — in music
  7. present — there
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kick — in football
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tear — to rip
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — the most important part
  24. racket — a loud noise

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