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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. dip — to sink
  4. plane — a tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. can — to be able to
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rush — hurry
  14. field — for sport
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. can — a tin
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. chair — a leader
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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