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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rest — a break
  7. file — a line of people
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. file — a tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. file — a document
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chair — a leader

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