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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — final
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. perch — the fish
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kid — child
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bat — the animal

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