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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — the season
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — of a king
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — the amount
  14. mark — a trace
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. press — to push
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. court — of law
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. press — newspapers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — for sport
  24. press — a publisher

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