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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 124 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. press — newspapers
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hand — help
  12. content — happy
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wind — moving air
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — the amount
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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