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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. toast — bread
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. net — in sport
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chair — a leader
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. net — after costs
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. hand — help
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. net — for catching

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