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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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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 · land · can · ball · temple · swing · bound · chair

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bound — tied together
  7. perch — the fish
  8. land — ground
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ball — a dance
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bound — certain
  13. swing — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. can — a tin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. land — to come down
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — a country
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ball — a round shape

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