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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mate — a friend
  4. charge — in control
  5. perch — the fish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. charge — a price
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. press — newspapers
  13. charge — electricity
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — to breed

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