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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: perch · shower · hide · toast · snap · hand · press · pit

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. shower — to wash
  5. press — to push
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to click
  9. shower — rain
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. press — newspapers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. perch — the fish
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. press — a publisher
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pit — in a race

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