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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. press — newspapers
  4. sharp — clever
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. squash — to crush
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. cold — not warm
  11. band — a ring
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. press — to push
  14. squash — the sport
  15. band — a music group
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. current — of water
  20. cold — an illness
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. press — a publisher
  23. arm — part of the body
  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