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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · arm · hide · roll · sharp · file · pop · chair

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pop — to visit
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. file — a document
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. roll — a cake
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — soda
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chair — a leader
  19. perch — the fish
  20. roll — a list
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pop — music
  24. file — a tool

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