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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bulb — for light
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — for sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. press — a publisher
  18. court — of a king
  19. press — to push
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — to sink
  22. race — a contest
  23. press — newspapers
  24. race — humankind

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