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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. press — a publisher
  5. track — a song
  6. last — final
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — finally
  11. deal — to handle
  12. press — newspapers
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. track — a path
  16. press — to push
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. perch — the fish
  19. track — to keep track
  20. last — to go on
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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