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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mug — to rob
  4. press — a publisher
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mug — a face
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. press — to push
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. court — of law
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. court — for sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitch — completely
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. mug — a cup

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