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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
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: ground · chest · press · perch · drill · suit · stand · mouse

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. ground — a position
  3. suit — in cards
  4. ground — crushed
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. press — to push
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. suit — clothes
  24. chest — a box

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