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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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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 · saw · press · shower · season · snap · lie · pit

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. season — of the year
  4. shower — to wash
  5. press — a publisher
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. perch — the fish
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. press — to push
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lie — to recline
  18. season — in sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. snap — to click
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. shower — rain
  24. perch — for a bird

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