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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. season — in sport
  14. pound — a weight
  15. squash — the sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chair — a leader
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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