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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ground — a position
  10. drill — army training
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. can — a tin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cell — in biology
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ground — the earth

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