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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 116 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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. press — a publisher
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. press — to push
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — newspapers
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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