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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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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. date — the fruit
  4. press — to push
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — to play on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. swing — music
  15. land — a country
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rash — a series
  20. land — ground
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rash — hasty

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