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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. object — a thing
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. object — an aim
  16. row — a line
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. object — to protest
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. perch — the fish
  23. deal — to handle
  24. leaves — of a tree

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