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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. firm — decided
  4. court — of a king
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. court — of law
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hand — in cards
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chest — a box
  18. press — newspapers
  19. hand — help
  20. court — for sport
  21. firm — a company
  22. season — of the year
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. firm — steady

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