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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: pitcher · arm · file · bear · stick · wind · perch · game

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. file — a document
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. game — a match
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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