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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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Word bank
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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rule — a law
  4. press — to push
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — the fish
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rule — government
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hide — animal skin

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