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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. firm — steady
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. press — a publisher
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — decided
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. press — to push
  13. last — finally
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. firm — a company
  16. perch — the fish
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pass — a permit
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — final
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — newspapers

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