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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. press — a publisher
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pit — a hole
  6. vault — a safe
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bat — the animal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kid — child
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — of law
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. court — for sport
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. court — of a king
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. chair — to sit on

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