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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cell — a phone
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cap — a lid
  17. perch — the fish
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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