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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 124 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — final
  4. press — to push
  5. cue — a signal
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — a committee
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — newspapers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. perch — the fish
  13. press — a publisher
  14. net — after costs
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — a city
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. board — to get on
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. capital — money
  24. last — to go on

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