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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. press — to push
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. scale — size or range
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. track — to keep track
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — a path
  18. press — newspapers
  19. perch — the fish
  20. track — a song
  21. press — a publisher
  22. toast — bread
  23. pound — a weight
  24. scale — in music

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