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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cell — a phone
  3. press — to push
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. land — a country
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cell — in biology
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — to come down
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cold — not warm
  13. suit — clothes
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cold — an illness
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kick — in football
  21. perch — the fish
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. land — ground
  24. suit — to fit

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