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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chest — a box
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — to push
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chest — of your body
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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