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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: press · mark · calf · perch · racket · last · coach · content

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. content — the amount
  3. perch — the fish
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. press — a publisher
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — happy
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. press — to push
  22. mark — a trace
  23. press — newspapers
  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