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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · court · hide · calf · mouse · press · kid · jam

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. press — to push
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kid — child
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — of law
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. court — for sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. court — of a king

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