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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. press — a publisher
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. last — final
  7. march — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — to crush
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lie — to recline
  24. press — to push

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