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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 116 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: deal · clip · kick · band · chair · perch · rock · rash

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rock — a stone
  11. clip — to cut
  12. perch — the fish
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. band — a music group

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