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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chair — a leader
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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