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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — army training
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. press — a publisher
  7. craft — boats
  8. chest — of your body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. press — to push
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. perch — the fish
  21. chest — a box
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. roll — a list
  24. bay — a horse colour

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