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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chair — a leader
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. shower — rain
  16. field — for sport
  17. perch — the fish
  18. field — a subject
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — boats

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