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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. swing — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rule — government
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — to play on
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. squash — the sport
  16. scale — in music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — to add flavour

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