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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.

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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: press · present · bay · perch · ball · clip · calf · scale

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. present — there
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ball — a great time
  7. scale — size or range
  8. press — a publisher
  9. scale — in music
  10. press — newspapers
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. present — a gift
  20. ball — a dance
  21. perch — the fish
  22. press — to push
  23. clip — a video
  24. present — the time now

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