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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.

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

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. shower — to wash
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. shower — rain
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. perch — the fish

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