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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tear — to rip
  8. perch — the fish
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pass — a permit
  12. press — to push
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bass — the fish
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. press — newspapers
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — a place of worship

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