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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — clever
  4. press — to push
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. toast — bread
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rule — a law
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. perch — the fish
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. press — a publisher
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rule — government
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. sharp — exactly

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