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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spring — a coil
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spring — the season
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — to push
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kick — in football
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spell — magic
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cue — a signal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. press — newspapers
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — to recline
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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