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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. staff — employees
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. staff — employees
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. perch — the fish
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. capital — a city
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — a measure
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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