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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: track · clip · rule · press · calf · mouse · sharp · perch

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rule — a law
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. track — a path
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. press — newspapers
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. clip — to cut
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. press — to push
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. track — a song
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — to keep track
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. perch — the fish

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