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

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. press — to push
  5. mate — a friend
  6. foot — a measure
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. perch — the fish
  9. club — for dancing
  10. press — a publisher
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. club — a group
  14. land — a country
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mate — a partner
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. mate — to breed
  21. sharp — clever
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. press — newspapers

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