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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. press — to push
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — a publisher
  5. game — a match
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — child
  8. rush — hurry
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. perch — the fish
  11. game — wild animals
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fall — the season
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fall — to drop
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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