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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. chest — a box
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. land — to come down
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. land — a country
  13. press — to push
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — ground
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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