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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rock — music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pop — soda
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rock — a stone
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pop — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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