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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: mouse · chair · safe · row · perch · cell · season · swing

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. season — in sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. swing — music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. swing — in golf
  10. row — a line
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — the fish
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — the animal

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