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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a great time
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spell — letters
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — for pool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chair — a professorship

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