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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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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: court · pit · press · pitcher · calf · bound · cap · shower

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — of a king
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. press — newspapers
  13. court — of law
  14. cap — a hat
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. cap — of ice
  22. press — to push
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitcher — a jug

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