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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chair — a leader
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pitcher — a jug

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