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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. roll — a list
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cap — a lid
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chair — a leader
  16. saw — the tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — the fish
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chair — to sit on

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