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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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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: perch · lie · fork · tear · bowl · snap · net · press

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. press — to push
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fork — in a road
  12. perch — the fish
  13. net — after costs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. snap — to click
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — for a bird

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