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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rock — a stone
  4. can — a tin
  5. spell — magic
  6. chair — a leader
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spell — letters
  9. perch — the fish
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. branch — a division
  13. kid — child
  14. ball — a great time
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rock — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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