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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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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: fine · perch · bear · cell · capital · chair · rash · mark

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mark — a grade
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — a city
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. capital — money
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — in biology

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