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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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. chair — a leader
  4. court — for sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. suit — to fit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. capital — money
  11. perch — the fish
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. board — to get on
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. capital — a city
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. suit — clothes

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