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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. perch — the fish
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. press — to push
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mouse — the animal

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