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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. lean — to bend
  6. kick — in football
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. can — a tin
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mug — to rob
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. net — in sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — after costs
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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