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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: press · spring · hide · scale · drill · perch · last · pit

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pit — in a race
  3. last — finally
  4. press — to push
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. scale — in music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. press — a publisher
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. last — to go on
  14. press — newspapers
  15. scale — size or range
  16. drill — a practice
  17. spring — of water
  18. drill — the tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — a coil
  22. last — final
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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