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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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Word bank
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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. perch — the fish
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. press — newspapers
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. season — in sport
  9. track — a song
  10. bark — to shout
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. press — to push
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. press — a publisher
  19. season — of the year
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — a place of worship

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