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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 120 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: perch · bore · row · sharp · press · mate · cue · court

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mate — a partner
  5. press — to push
  6. mate — a friend
  7. court — for sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. press — a publisher
  12. court — of a king
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. court — of law
  15. cue — a hint
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — to breed
  18. press — newspapers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cue — for pool
  23. sharp — clever
  24. row — a line

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