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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. firm — steady
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. toast — bread
  4. press — a publisher
  5. file — a tool
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a document
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. track — a path
  13. firm — a company
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a line of people
  19. firm — decided
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. press — to push
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. toast — the most admired
  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