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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: wake · bay · perch · capital · row · chest · chair · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. capital — money
  3. row — to paddle
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chest — of your body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chest — a box
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chair — a leader
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. capital — a city
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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