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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. saw — the tool
  4. dip — to sink
  5. board — to get on
  6. tear — to rip
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — a leader
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. board — a committee
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. perch — the fish
  18. field — a subject
  19. tear — from crying
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — farmland
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. field — for 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