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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. current — of water
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. field — for sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. current — electric
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. drill — army training
  19. current — happening now
  20. field — farmland
  21. mine — for digging
  22. perch — the fish
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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