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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. present — the time now
  3. press — newspapers
  4. roll — a cake
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. key — for a lock
  7. press — a publisher
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. press — to push
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. present — there
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. present — a gift
  16. root — of a word
  17. stand — to bear
  18. root — of a plant
  19. roll — a list
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. root — the cause
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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