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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 120 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. press — to push
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ball — a great time
  9. present — there
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. press — newspapers
  13. hand — in cards
  14. content — the amount
  15. present — the time now
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cue — a hint
  18. press — a publisher
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hand — help
  22. content — happy
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. present — a gift

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