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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. club — a group
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. perch — the fish
  5. chair — a leader
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. club — for dancing
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rush — hurry
  13. press — to push
  14. face — to confront
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — a line
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. face — to point toward
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — for golf

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