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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. court — of law
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. game — a match
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. perch — the fish
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. court — of a king
  23. wax — to grow
  24. press — to push

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