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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. firm — steady
  3. fall — the season
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. firm — decided
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fall — to drop
  11. press — newspapers
  12. race — humankind
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fall — to drop
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — the fish
  18. toast — bread
  19. firm — a company
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. perch — for a bird

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