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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. press — a publisher
  3. court — for sport
  4. club — a group
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — newspapers
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. march — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. press — to push
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. content — the amount
  16. march — the month
  17. content — happy
  18. tear — to rip
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rest — a break
  21. club — for golf
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for dancing

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