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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.

Make a worksheet

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: perch · season · chair · last · bowl · calf · track · object

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — finally
  3. object — to protest
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. object — a thing
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. object — an aim
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. track — a song
  13. season — in sport
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. last — final
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — to go on
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chair — a leader
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. calf — of the leg

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