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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. press — to push
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cue — a signal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kick — in football
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cue — for pool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  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