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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · court · scale · face · calf · hide · press · suit

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. face — to point toward
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — to confront
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — of law
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. press — newspapers
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. scale — in music
  18. suit — clothes
  19. face — part of the head
  20. scale — size or range
  21. court — for sport
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. scale — for weighing
  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