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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. shower — rain
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. land — ground
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — to paddle
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — a series
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rash — hasty
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. land — to come down
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. press — newspapers
  20. land — a country
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. perch — the fish

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