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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. file — a document
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. perch — the fish
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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