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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kick — in football
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bank — for money
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mate — a partner
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mate — to breed
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mate — a friend
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bank — for money
  24. kick — with a leg

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