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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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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 · press · present · mouse · season · cap · cell · kid

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. perch — the fish
  6. present — there
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. press — to push
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. present — a gift
  14. cap — a hat
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kid — to tease
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — of ice
  21. present — the time now
  22. press — a publisher
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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