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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · press · perch · rule · object · hide

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. 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. rule — government
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rule — a law
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. object — an aim
  6. press — to push
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. perch — the fish
  9. object — to protest
  10. snap — to click
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. press — a publisher
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. press — newspapers
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. object — a thing
  18. 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