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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fine — all right
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rash — a series
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — a video
  9. press — a publisher
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lean — thin
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lean — to bend
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bear — the animal
  21. press — to push
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bear — the animal

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