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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. game — a match
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stand — to bear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. press — newspapers
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. season — in sport
  15. press — to push
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. season — of the year
  20. spell — a short time
  21. game — wild animals
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spell — letters
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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