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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stand — to bear
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. root — the cause
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. march — the month
  18. root — of a plant
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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