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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. squash — to crush
  3. press — a publisher
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. squash — the sport
  7. press — to push
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bound — certain
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bound — tied together
  24. press — newspapers

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