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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. court — for sport
  8. perch — the fish
  9. court — of law
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rock — a stone
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rock — music
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. shower — to wash
  24. nail — on a finger

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