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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fork — in a road
  7. swing — music
  8. field — farmland
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. bound — tied together
  17. land — to come down
  18. swing — to play on
  19. land — a country
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. land — ground

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