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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.

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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: chair · perch · net · mug · can · tube · drill · press

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tube — a container
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chair — a leader
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. can — a tin
  9. press — newspapers
  10. net — in sport
  11. drill — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — for catching
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. drill — army training
  16. can — a tin
  17. mug — a face
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mug — to rob
  20. perch — the fish
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — to push
  24. drill — a practice

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