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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 120 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. staff — employees
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. march — music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — to push
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. capital — money
  16. staff — employees
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — a city
  23. hand — help
  24. wave — with your hand

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