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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 120 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: perch · last · squash · leaves · foot · hand · saw · cold

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cold — an illness
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. last — finally
  13. hand — help
  14. last — final
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. perch — the fish
  18. saw — the tool
  19. foot — a measure
  20. last — to go on
  21. cold — not warm
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. leaves — lets stay

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