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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — to push
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. track — a path
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wax — to grow
  12. press — newspapers
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. mate — a partner
  24. track — a song

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