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

Word bank: pound · bowl · rest · chair · net · press · face · perch

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. press — to push
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pound — a weight
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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