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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. march — music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. march — the month
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chip — to eat
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chip — for betting
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — to push
  17. can — a tin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. sharp — exactly

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