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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bore — to drill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — to tire
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. object — an aim
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rule — government
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ground — a position
  21. object — a thing
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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