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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. chair — a professorship
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a music group
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. charge — in control
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. suit — clothes
  9. tear — to rip
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. suit — to fit
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mug — to rob
  19. charge — a price
  20. band — a ring
  21. suit — in cards
  22. band — a rubber band
  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