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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: press · field · perch · racket · pit · wake · root · court

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. root — the cause
  3. press — a publisher
  4. field — farmland
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — newspapers
  9. field — for sport
  10. pit — a hole
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pit — in a race
  24. press — to push

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