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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rock — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rock — a stone
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. clip — a video
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. drill — army training
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. row — to paddle
  18. drill — a practice
  19. swing — music
  20. row — a line
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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