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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: ground · hand · press · rock · chair · mug · game · perch

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. game — a match
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mug — a cup
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. press — to push
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rock — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — help
  14. mug — a face
  15. ground — the earth
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ground — crushed
  19. press — newspapers
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chair — a leader
  23. perch — the fish
  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