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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — a leader
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fine — all right
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tube — a container
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. season — of the year
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — in sport

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