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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. scale — in music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — for golf
  8. press — a publisher
  9. spell — a short time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. press — to push
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. club — a group
  18. firm — a company
  19. kick — in football
  20. firm — decided
  21. scale — size or range
  22. firm — steady
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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