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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 124 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spring — of water
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — in football
  6. club — for golf
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. club — for dancing
  10. press — newspapers
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rock — music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. club — a group
  19. spring — a coil
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rock — a stone
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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