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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. shower — to wash
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rule — government
  14. kid — to tease
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. shower — rain
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — child
  19. press — a publisher
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. bat — the animal
  24. press — to push

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