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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.

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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 · mate · land · chair · racket · ruler · lie · band

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. land — ground
  3. band — a ring
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. land — a country
  6. band — a music group
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — to come down
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. racket — for tennis

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