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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — a hat
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. last — finally
  5. press — to push
  6. cue — a signal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cue — for pool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cue — a hint
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — final
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. last — to go on
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stand — to bear
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stand — for spectators

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