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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — electric
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wind — moving air
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. toast — bread
  17. current — happening now
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. current — of water

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