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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — size or range
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. net — in sport
  11. press — newspapers
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — to push
  24. fall — the season

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