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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · perch · stick · degree · mark · jam · object · pop

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pop — soda
  4. degree — an amount
  5. perch — the fish
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pop — music
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. pop — to visit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. press — to push
  14. object — to protest
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. object — a thing
  17. press — newspapers
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. object — an aim
  23. press — a publisher
  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