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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. land — a country
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cell — in biology
  6. land — ground
  7. rest — a break
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mine — for digging
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chair — a leader
  18. track — a path
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. land — to come down
  22. can — a tin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. track — a song

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