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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
468
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: bowl · press · pitch · land · bat · perch · fan · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. press — to push
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. land — to come down
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. land — ground
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitch — completely
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — a country

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