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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mate — a partner
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. staff — employees
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mate — a friend
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — in sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. press — newspapers
  21. staff — employees
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. staff — a stick
  24. perch — for a bird

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