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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pop — to visit
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pitch — completely
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pop — soda
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pop — music
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. perch — for a bird

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