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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. press — to push
  4. ground — a position
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. present — a gift
  7. ground — the earth
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. present — there
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cue — for pool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. present — the time now
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. calf — a young 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