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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.

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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. court — of law
  4. charge — in control
  5. press — a publisher
  6. craft — boats
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. press — to push
  9. pitch — completely
  10. craft — a skill
  11. charge — electricity
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. court — for sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rash — hasty
  23. charge — a price
  24. bore — to drill

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