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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. press — a publisher
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — to push
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pop — soda
  11. cold — an illness
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — to rob
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pop — music

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