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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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 professorship
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — a series
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a match
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. foot — a measure
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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