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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bore — to drill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — to be able to
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spell — magic
  18. bore — to tire
  19. can — a tin
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — letters

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