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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — a match
  3. perch — the fish
  4. game — wild animals
  5. drill — army training
  6. scale — in music
  7. club — for golf
  8. can — a tin
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hand — help
  12. press — a publisher
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. drill — the tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. scale — size or range
  19. drill — a practice
  20. club — a group
  21. can — to be able to
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — in cards
  24. club — for dancing

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