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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cell — in biology
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. press — to push
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. press — a publisher
  20. foot — a measure
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. clip — a video
  24. squash — to crush

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