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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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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: safe · chair · root · season · board · bowl · perch · racket

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. board — to get on
  3. season — of the year
  4. chair — a leader
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. board — a committee
  12. root — of a plant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. root — of a word
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. root — the cause
  24. board — a flat piece

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