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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — electric
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. perch — the fish
  9. current — of water
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. tear — from crying
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bear — to put up with

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