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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. suit — to fit
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. club — for golf
  6. press — a publisher
  7. suit — in cards
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. club — a group
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. press — to push
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stem — to come from
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. safe — out of danger

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