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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pop — music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — in a race
  6. press — to push
  7. pit — a hole
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cold — an illness
  10. scale — in music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pop — soda
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cue — a signal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pop — to visit
  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