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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: pass · saw · cap · chair · tear · foot · object · perch

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chair — a leader
  11. object — a thing
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cap — a hat
  15. object — to protest
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. object — an aim
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cap — of ice
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cap — a lid

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