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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · coach · perch · bass · spell · date · last · press

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. press — to push
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spell — letters
  6. last — to go on
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. last — finally
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. last — final
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — a publisher
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spell — a short time
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spell — magic
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bass — low music

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