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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. band — a music group
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. band — a ring
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. press — to push
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chair — a leader
  12. press — newspapers
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pop — soda
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pop — music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chip — to eat
  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