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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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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 · file · bass · firm · kid · pitch · cell

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bass — the fish
  3. file — a tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cell — in biology
  7. firm — decided
  8. file — a document
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitch — completely
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bass — low music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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