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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fork — in a road
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lie — to recline
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. press — to push
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. can — to be able to
  16. degree — an amount
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. press — newspapers
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. can — a tin
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lie — an untruth

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