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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. press — to push
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. press — a publisher
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. press — newspapers
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. can — a tin
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — to be able to
  18. calf — a young animal

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