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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — a match
  4. drill — a practice
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. drill — the tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. suit — clothes
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — to push
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — wild animals
  18. suit — in cards
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. drill — army training

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