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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. roll — a list
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. roll — a cake
  11. swing — music
  12. hand — help
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. press — to push
  15. swing — in golf
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bore — to drill
  20. press — a publisher
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bore — to tire
  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