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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bear — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. ground — crushed
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — to push
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bear — the animal
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ground — a position
  20. court — of law
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. calf — a young animal

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