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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mug — a face
  3. root — of a word
  4. mug — to rob
  5. court — for sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. present — the time now
  9. firm — decided
  10. court — of law
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. firm — steady
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. present — there
  17. mug — a cup
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. present — a gift
  21. ground — the earth
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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