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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cap — of ice
  6. press — newspapers
  7. march — the month
  8. cap — a hat
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. present — the time now
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. present — there
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cap — a lid
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pop — soda
  19. present — a gift
  20. march — music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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