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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. firm — steady
  4. press — a publisher
  5. clip — to cut
  6. row — a line
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. squash — to crush
  11. clip — a video
  12. firm — a company
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — to paddle
  17. firm — decided
  18. squash — the sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. press — to push
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. press — newspapers

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