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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — finally
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. row — a line
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. court — of law
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. last — final
  10. present — there
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. last — to go on
  13. court — of a king
  14. scale — in music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. press — a publisher
  17. scale — size or range
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. press — to push
  20. pit — a hole
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. row — to paddle
  23. court — for sport
  24. press — newspapers

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