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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pop — soda
  7. court — for sport
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. court — of a king
  13. press — a publisher
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pop — music
  17. bound — obliged
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. court — of law
  24. sharp — exactly

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