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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mug — a face
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pass — a permit
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kick — in football
  14. mug — to rob
  15. press — to push
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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