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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.

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: perch · current · cell · chair · pitcher · rash · hide · mate

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. current — electric
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — happening now
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rash — a series
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. perch — the fish

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