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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. game — a match
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. roll — a cake
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. date — the fruit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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