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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. ________________ 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. racket — a loud noise
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pop — to visit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — a publisher
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. staff — employees
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — the fish

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