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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.

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
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 · perch · ground · land · net · rest · suit · temple

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — to push
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rest — a break
  7. suit — clothes
  8. land — ground
  9. ground — the earth
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. suit — to fit
  12. net — for catching
  13. press — newspapers
  14. perch — the fish
  15. press — a publisher
  16. land — a country
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rest — what's left
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — after costs
  22. land — to come down
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ground — a position

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