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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 116 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: content · perch · press · swing · ruler · tube · ball · fall

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — newspapers
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. swing — music
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. press — to push
  16. ball — a great time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. tube — a container
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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