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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: kick · fan · press · bowl · lie · content · perch · saw

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — the tool
  5. content — the amount
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kick — in football
  8. content — happy
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. press — to push
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. press — newspapers
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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