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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wax — to grow
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. press — to push
  7. toast — bread
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — the tool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. press — newspapers
  12. drill — a practice
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. lie — to recline
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. drill — army training
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — rain
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitcher — a jug

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