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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bark — to shout
  6. season — of the year
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mark — a grade
  12. season — in sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. game — a match
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. temple — a place of worship

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