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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ball — a great time
  5. press — to push
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bass — low music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. perch — the fish
  18. press — a publisher
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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