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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cap — a hat
  4. track — a song
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kick — in football
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cap — of ice
  24. straw — dry grass

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