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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chest — of your body
  3. capital — money
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chest — a box
  15. rush — hurry
  16. suit — clothes
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chest — of your body

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