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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 124 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. band — a music group
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mate — a friend
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. band — a ring
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fall — the season
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mug — a face
  24. perch — the fish

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