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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. clip — to cut
  3. roll — a list
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rule — government
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. toast — bread
  8. press — to push
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — a law
  13. key — the most important part
  14. press — newspapers
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. press — a publisher
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. clip — for paper
  22. key — in music
  23. clip — a video
  24. mouse — the animal

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