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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. root — the cause
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. press — to push
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. shower — rain
  15. root — of a word
  16. march — the month
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. root — of a plant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. shower — to wash

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