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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rule — government
  3. spell — magic
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — the fish
  8. press — to push
  9. rule — a law
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — in football
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. press — newspapers
  21. spell — letters
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. perch — for a bird

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