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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. perch — the fish
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. drill — army training
  10. cap — of ice
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fine — all right
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stand — for spectators
  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