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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. press — to push
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. squash — to crush
  7. net — after costs
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. net — in sport
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. kick — in football
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. press — a publisher
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. kick — a thrill

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