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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: arm · cell · rest · firm · ruler · perch · net · race

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. firm — a company
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — humankind
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. net — after costs
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. perch — the fish
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cell — a phone
  14. race — a contest
  15. firm — decided
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. firm — steady
  21. race — the arms race
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ruler — for measuring

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