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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. press — a publisher
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of a king
  8. stock — goods
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. press — to push
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. clip — a video
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — of law
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — for sport
  22. pit — a hole
  23. clip — to cut
  24. can — a tin

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