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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — the earth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ball — a dance
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ball — a great time
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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