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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: bat · saw · press · pound · drill · perch · calf · toast

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pound — a weight
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. toast — bread
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. drill — the tool
  12. press — to push
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. drill — army training
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. drill — a practice
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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