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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fine — all right
  4. rule — a law
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — high quality
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rule — government
  16. prune — to trim
  17. march — the month
  18. press — newspapers
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. march — music
  23. bat — the animal
  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