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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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468
Word bank
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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. press — newspapers
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ground — crushed
  20. press — to push
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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