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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — for digging
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. row — a line
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wake — a trail
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. press — to push
  23. face — to point toward
  24. perch — the fish

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