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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: press · ground · perch · current · season · cell · ball · racket

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ball — a great time
  5. season — in sport
  6. press — to push
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — newspapers
  9. current — of water
  10. ground — the earth
  11. current — electric
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — happening now
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — in biology
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cell — a phone
  20. ground — crushed
  21. season — of the year
  22. ground — a position
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. press — a publisher

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