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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. row — a line
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — a weight
  12. object — to protest
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. perch — the fish
  18. object — an aim
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. object — a thing
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chair — to sit on

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