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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 · game · hand · leaves · cabinet · kick · bass · straw

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bass — low music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kick — in football
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. hand — in cards
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. game — a match
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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