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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.

Make a worksheet

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: arm · hand · clip · bay · pitcher · spell · object · perch

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — magic
  4. hand — in cards
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spell — letters
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — a short time
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — an aim
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. hand — help
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — a video
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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