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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. perch — the fish
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — to push
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pop — music
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pop — soda
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. press — newspapers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. squash — to crush
  18. roll — a list
  19. press — a publisher
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitch — completely
  22. present — a gift
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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