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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.

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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: squash · mine · press · perch · season · bound · game · club

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — a group
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a match
  7. press — newspapers
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. press — to push
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bound — tied together
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. club — for golf
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bound — certain
  18. press — a publisher
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mine — for digging
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bound — obliged

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