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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to click
  3. content — the amount
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. press — a publisher
  13. perch — the fish
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mark — a grade
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cap — a hat
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — happy
  23. cap — of ice
  24. press — to push

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