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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — to wash
  5. capital — a city
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — money
  8. clip — a video
  9. chair — a leader
  10. charge — a price
  11. board — a committee
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — to get on
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. perch — the fish
  17. charge — in control
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. clip — for paper
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — to cut

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