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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.

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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 · object · perch · drill · net · mark · board · chip

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. perch — the fish
  3. drill — the tool
  4. press — to push
  5. net — after costs
  6. object — to protest
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — for catching
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chip — for betting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — army training
  20. board — to get on
  21. object — a thing
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — a committee

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