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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. perch — the fish
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rule — government
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. vault — a safe
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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