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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — for paper
  3. content — the amount
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. content — happy
  21. last — final
  22. rush — hurry
  23. clip — a video
  24. bulb — for light

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