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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rule — government
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rule — a law
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. press — to push
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. season — of the year
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — in sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chest — a box
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. season — to add flavour

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