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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. object — to protest
  5. rash — hasty
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — a series
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mug — a face
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. object — an aim
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — rain
  16. object — a thing
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mug — a cup
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — to tire
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. shower — to wash

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