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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rest — a break
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mug — a face
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mug — to rob
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bat — the animal
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stand — on your feet

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