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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. current — electric
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. chair — a leader
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — to crush
  10. current — of water
  11. bound — certain
  12. current — happening now
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. perch — the fish
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ground — a position
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — the earth
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mouse — 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