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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. capital — money
  4. chest — a box
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — a city
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mug — to rob
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mug — a face
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. toast — bread
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mug — a cup

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