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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. perch — the fish
  4. drill — a practice
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. drill — the tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — in sport
  10. drill — army training
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. tear — to rip
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — after costs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chair — a leader

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