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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: chair · press · perch · cell · last · track · mug · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. last — final
  6. mug — a face
  7. track — a song
  8. last — to go on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cell — in biology
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. press — to push
  16. cell — a phone
  17. track — a path
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chair — a leader

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