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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — a hole
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. firm — decided
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a leader
  17. firm — a company
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rest — a break
  20. branch — a division
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. firm — steady
  24. bat — the animal

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