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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mug — a face
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. press — newspapers
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. press — to push
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. lie — to recline
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — a trail
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mug — to rob
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. date — on the calendar

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