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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. press — a publisher
  10. root — the cause
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. capital — money
  14. press — newspapers
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitch — completely
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. root — of a word
  23. press — to push
  24. root — of a plant

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