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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lean — thin
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lean — to bend
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. kid — child
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. tube — a container
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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