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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: calf · bore · field · perch · fall · net · rash · chair

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. field — farmland
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. fall — the season
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rash — hasty
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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