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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: perch · pit · saw · press · hand · rash · calf · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cold — an illness
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — hasty
  11. press — newspapers
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. press — to push
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. press — a publisher
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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