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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. track — a song
  4. press — newspapers
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — government
  7. row — a line
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — to paddle
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rash — hasty
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rash — a series
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rule — a law
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bat — the animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. press — to push
  24. track — a path

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