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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pop — soda
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. plane — a tool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. press — a publisher
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. press — to push
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pop — music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ground — a position
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. clip — for paper

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