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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. firm — a company
  7. rest — a break
  8. stem — to come from
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. firm — decided
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chair — a leader
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. firm — steady
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — a trail
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. leaves — of a tree

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