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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fine — high quality
  3. degree — from a university
  4. perch — the fish
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mate — a partner
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lean — thin
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mate — to breed
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mate — a friend
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — temperature
  17. game — wild animals
  18. press — to push
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lean — to bend
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — a publisher

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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