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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.

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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: foot · mate · perch · game · club · saw · lash · shower

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — for golf
  4. game — wild animals
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. foot — a measure
  9. game — a match
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. club — for dancing
  13. saw — the tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — a friend
  16. shower — rain
  17. saw — the tool
  18. club — a group
  19. perch — the fish
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. shower — to wash
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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