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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. present — the time now
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ground — crushed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. present — a gift
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ground — a position
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. present — there
  23. stand — to bear
  24. perch — for a bird

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