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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 116 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: mate · court · press · kid · mark · racket · bore · perch

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. press — to push
  4. kid — child
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mark — a grade
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — to tire
  13. press — a publisher
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — newspapers
  16. court — of a king
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mate — a friend
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mate — to breed
  24. court — of law

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