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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. last — finally
  6. perch — the fish
  7. last — final
  8. scale — in music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. ball — a great time
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ball — a dance
  19. game — a match
  20. bore — to drill
  21. last — to go on
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ball — a round shape

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