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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cue — a hint
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bore — to drill
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. march — music
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mug — to rob
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mug — a face
  12. perch — the fish
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. cue — a signal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cue — for pool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chair — a leader
  24. perch — for a bird

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