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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. press — to push
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mine — for digging
  13. key — the most important part
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. press — a publisher
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. key — in music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cold — an illness

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