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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. press — a publisher
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. pop — to visit
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. press — to push
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pop — soda
  11. capital — money
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. capital — a city
  14. hand — in cards
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — help
  20. present — the time now
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pop — music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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