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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pop — to visit
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — hasty
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. press — to push
  9. pop — soda
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. rash — a series
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. club — a group
  18. pop — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. club — for golf
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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