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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 120 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: present · court · mark · press · straw · racket · perch · wind

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — moving air
  5. court — for sport
  6. present — there
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — the fish
  11. press — newspapers
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. press — to push
  15. court — of law
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mark — a grade
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. present — the time now
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — of a king
  23. present — a gift
  24. press — a publisher

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