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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. track — a song
  3. press — newspapers
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. track — a path
  10. season — in sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. season — of the year
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bat — the animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kick — in football
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pit — a hole
  22. press — to push
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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