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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. face — part of the head
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spring — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bass — low music
  22. spring — the season
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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