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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fork — in a road
  3. face — to point toward
  4. land — to come down
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tube — a container
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cap — of ice
  15. face — to confront
  16. land — a country
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tube — the underground
  19. press — to push
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. land — ground
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. press — newspapers

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