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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. press — a publisher
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a line of people
  15. press — to push
  16. cue — a signal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bank — for money
  19. cue — a hint
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bank — of a river
  22. perch — the fish
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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