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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mark — a trace
  3. press — to push
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mark — a grade
  7. kick — in football
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — child
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — magic
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spell — a short time
  19. perch — the fish
  20. spell — letters
  21. staff — employees
  22. press — a publisher
  23. kid — to tease
  24. staff — employees

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