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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mark — a trace
  9. last — to go on
  10. cold — an illness
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. last — final
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — hurry
  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