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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bound — tied together
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. land — ground
  10. cold — an illness
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cold — not warm
  15. press — a publisher
  16. land — to come down
  17. ground — the earth
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ground — a position
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — a country
  24. racket — for tennis

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