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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rest — a break
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rest — what's left
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chair — a leader
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — what's left
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cell — a phone
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. roll — a list

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