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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. march — music
  3. last — finally
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fork — in a road
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — a publisher
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — the month
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. firm — steady
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. firm — a company
  20. press — to push
  21. perch — the fish
  22. last — final
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. march — the month

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