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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. race — a contest
  3. staff — a stick
  4. net — in sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chair — a leader
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — humankind
  12. land — ground
  13. lean — thin
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. staff — employees
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — after costs
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chair — a professorship

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