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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. press — to push
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. club — for golf
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ball — a great time
  20. club — for dancing
  21. ball — a dance
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. club — a group

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