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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — size or range
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. press — to push
  5. hand — help
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bound — certain
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. drill — army training
  12. bound — obliged
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bound — tied together
  19. hand — in cards
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. press — a publisher
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. perch — the fish

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