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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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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. press — to push
  6. key — the most important part
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hand — help
  9. key — in music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mug — a cup
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mug — a face
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitch — completely
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bat — the 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