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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rest — what's left
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fine — high quality
  9. press — to push
  10. face — to confront
  11. stock — goods
  12. face — to point toward
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stock — shares
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rest — a break
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fine — all right
  22. mate — a friend
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. press — newspapers

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