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

Word bank: chair · mug · pit · coach · perch · wound · snap · rest

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. snap — to click
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — a face
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rest — a break
  24. pit — a hole

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