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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.

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: chair · bowl · firm · staff · land · object · clip · perch

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. firm — decided
  5. object — a thing
  6. land — ground
  7. staff — a stick
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. land — a country
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. object — to protest
  16. land — to come down
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chair — a leader
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — employees
  21. firm — a company
  22. staff — employees
  23. clip — a video
  24. firm — steady

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