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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. press — newspapers
  3. perch — the fish
  4. last — to go on
  5. cold — an illness
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. snap — to click
  11. stock — goods
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — to push
  18. last — final
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — finally
  23. stock — shares
  24. bark — to shout

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