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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. sharp — clever
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fine — all right
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. fine — high quality

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