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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — to drop
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — music
  9. mug — a face
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. net — in sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. net — after costs
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fall — the season
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. trunk — of a car

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