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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 120 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 · spring · chip · safe · bat · season · hand · press

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spring — a coil
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. press — newspapers
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. season — in sport
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chip — for betting
  15. season — of the year
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bat — the animal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. spring — of water
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. hand — help

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