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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: mug · snap · press · content · pop · key · perch · cold

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — to visit
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mug — a cup
  5. content — the amount
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pop — soda
  8. cold — an illness
  9. key — the most important part
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. content — happy
  16. pop — music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mug — a face
  20. cold — not warm
  21. perch — the fish
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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