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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. press — to push
  3. row — to paddle
  4. firm — a company
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. firm — decided
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cell — in biology
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. firm — steady
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. prune — to trim
  19. row — a line
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pass — a permit
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. cell — a phone

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