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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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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: file · mug · chair · lean · hand · club · toast · perch

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. perch — the fish
  8. file — a tool
  9. toast — bread
  10. chair — a leader
  11. club — for golf
  12. lean — thin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hand — help
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. club — for dancing
  21. file — a document
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lean — to bend
  24. hand — in cards

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