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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
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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: date · stand · court · perch · pitcher · press · plane · squash

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. plane — a tool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. date — the fruit
  14. court — of law
  15. squash — the sport
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. press — to push
  18. stand — to bear
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. press — a publisher
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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