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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · charge · date · cold · perch · root · nail · chair

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chair — a leader
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. charge — a price
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. charge — electricity
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cold — an illness
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. root — of a word
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. root — the cause
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. root — of a plant
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. charge — in control

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