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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. firm — steady
  2. press — a publisher
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. firm — a company
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. current — of water
  13. press — newspapers
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — electric
  16. firm — decided
  17. press — to push
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. current — happening now
  23. court — of law
  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