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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cell — a phone
  6. drill — a practice
  7. shower — rain
  8. land — a country
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to click
  11. press — to push
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cell — in biology
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. shower — to wash
  18. press — a publisher
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. drill — army training
  21. land — to come down
  22. drill — the tool
  23. land — ground
  24. safe — a strongbox

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