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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. kick — in football
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. content — the amount
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. land — ground
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. land — to come down
  16. club — a group
  17. land — a country
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. content — happy
  24. club — for golf

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