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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stock — goods
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stand — to bear
  17. ball — a great time
  18. press — a publisher
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. season — of the year
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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