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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. track — a song
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. press — a publisher
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. capital — money
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. degree — temperature
  17. capital — a city
  18. stand — to bear
  19. press — to push
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. track — a path
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — to keep track

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