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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — a phone
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bound — tied together
  10. swing — in golf
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bound — certain
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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