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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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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: suit · perch · press · key · bore · court · cell · track

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. press — a publisher
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. court — for sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cell — in biology
  12. press — newspapers
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cell — a phone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — to keep track
  17. key — the most important part
  18. court — of a king
  19. bore — to drill
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bore — to tire
  22. track — a path
  23. press — to push
  24. track — a song

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