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

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chair — a leader
  3. shower — rain
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. ground — a position
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ground — the earth
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. date — the fruit
  22. perch — the fish
  23. craft — a skill
  24. ground — crushed

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