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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. game — a match
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rule — government
  5. press — to push
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rule — a law
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — wild animals
  14. deal — to handle
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. press — newspapers
  24. track — to keep track

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