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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. press — newspapers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — rain
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. press — a publisher
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. press — to push
  20. lean — thin
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bat — in an idiom

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