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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rule — a law
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. perch — the fish
  9. capital — money
  10. rule — government
  11. press — to push
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bore — to tire
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bore — to drill
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. chair — a leader
  24. club — for golf

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