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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. press — to push
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rush — hurry
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. game — wild animals
  17. club — a group
  18. game — a match
  19. perch — the fish
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. scale — for weighing

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