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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — in football
  8. press — to push
  9. wake — a trail
  10. press — a publisher
  11. suit — in cards
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. suit — to fit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. suit — clothes
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. perch — the fish
  22. scale — in music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. scale — size or range

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