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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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — magic
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitch — completely
  11. press — newspapers
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spell — a short time
  14. press — to push
  15. ground — a position
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ground — crushed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. press — a publisher
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. spell — letters
  24. degree — temperature

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