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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. clip — a video
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. roll — a list
  16. chest — a box
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mark — a grade
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mark — a trace
  21. roll — a cake
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. clip — to cut

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