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

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — tied together
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — certain
  5. club — for golf
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. spell — a short time
  9. perch — the fish
  10. spell — magic
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. club — for dancing
  14. land — to come down
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spell — letters
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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