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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tube — a container
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a dance
  5. press — to push
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. tube — the underground
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rule — government
  13. cap — of ice
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. perch — the fish
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mate — a friend
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. press — newspapers
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mate — a partner

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